Remembering ....

.... my dad. Today is the 18th Anniversary

of his death. It was a chilly and very rainy

Saturday morning and all our family was

together. It was such an honor to be laying

beside him as he took his last breath. He

told us a lot that week that he had so many

angels visiting him. We kept telling him it

was okay to go but I knew he was very

determined to die on the 28th. My dad and

I both had a "thing" about even numbers.

He died at the same time to the same minute

when he was born (I kid you not!) exactly 6

months to the day (I kids you not!) from his

60th Birthday. I hope I have this experience

when I am dying, though I'd like to live a full

100 years. I love how he smiled, closed his

eyes and took one last breath. We had a very

untraditional funeral ~ he wanted a party, so

we had a Celebration of Life and my kids

still have good memories of grampa's end.

A beautiful life, a beautiful goodbye. I

can't believe all the experiences we've all

had in our lives since he's been gone. I wish

he could be here to see everything we've

accomplished and been here on the days

when we felt we couldn't take another step.

I hope my kids feel this when we are gone.

That we made a difference and this live is

worth living, even when it difficult and so

hard at times. Miss you forever, dad ....

P.S. The picture above is my mom and dad

on our Wedding Day in 1984. When he

died in 2002, he look exactly the same. A

bit skinnier but the same. He never aged!

~ Chy